This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastor of Teaching & WorshipThis week we looked at the temptation of Jesus. Just like our own daily lives Jesus had a choice to make: Do I say "yes" to God or do I say "no" to God? As I reflect on this a bit more, the time preparing for this message has renewed my need to find the appropriate scripture for the temptations that I face. It was clear that Jesus used scripture to win over temptation. So I need to be about finding the right scripture to combat the temptation I face frequently.
I had several people talk to me after the message asking how I knew so much about them. After I had a little fun joking around saying that God had spoken to me about them (He didn't really) I was reminded about the commonness of our temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you have a few minutes, why don't you join our weekly blog reflecting on the sermon for this week. Maybe you could respond to the following question: What will I be doing differently this week after hearing the message from Matthew 4:1-11?
God bless and have a great week. May your winning over temptation be frequent!
What I loved most about the message was your serious reminder us that scumbag satan is alive, in our midst and determined. He is the prince of this world and he's actively seeking to lure me away from God using whatever means necessary to accomplish his purposes for my life. We are fighting the battle of our lives while on this earth and must choose to put on the full armor of God daily if we are to be victorious. I believe that it's even more than choosing a side. In fact if I don't choose God in every circumstance, I DEFAULT to my sinful nature - the scumbags side. And he's there, cheering me on every step of the way. I am committing myself to allow satan fewer successes this week and intend to give God all the glory for giving me all that is necessary to defeat the enemy and my flesh!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Ruth. I had several people make a comment about the time I took to explain about the reality of the spiritual world and the role of the devil. With what is changing in our cultural approach to Christianity, I felt it necessary to talk about the reality of the devil. the other people who talked to me were equally appreciative of the reminder. May God enable you to be win over the devil this week and beyond.
ReplyDeleteI love this passage of scripture as well. It is so powerful to see our master choose good over evil even in the face of Satan's direct attacks. What really comforts me, however, is not the choices he makes, but why he makes those choices. As you suggested, Jesus does not simply decide to choose good over evil. This passage begins with an overwhelmingly important message, delivered twice for emphasis. "Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness..." Jesus was fully connected with the Spirit of God. They communed in prayer 24/7 for 40 days. Jesus was free to choose not to sin because He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Extraordinary prayer was an all too common theme in Christ's life. He promised us that the same power that freed Him from sin could free us as well. I believe Paul captured the essence of this in Rm. 8:2. "And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death." I love this message. I am free to make right choices to the degree that the Holy Spirit is in control of my life, and worship-based prayer is my way of demonstrating my dependence on Him.
ReplyDeleteOops! I forgot to mention that I quoted from Luke 4 instead of Matt.4.
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked about the message was that Gary spoke about satan and how he is real and lurking around in our lives waiting. So many churches or Pastor's don't talk about satan or hell. They only want to give a feel good message to keep people coming back to church. That's not what we need. We sometimes don't take satan seriously and paint him out to be a mythical creature. He's real and we need to be on guard every day. Thanks Pastor Gary!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that one of the most common responses to this message (both on the blog and right after the services)was my treatment of the devil. I grew up in the church and have never doubted the reality of the evil one. I'm glad that I took the time I did to bring some clarity to the reality of Satan.
ReplyDeleteFor those who have given their lives to Jesus there is really nothing to fear when it comes to the devil. Jesus has won the victory over the evil one and when facing temptation to do evil part of our response is to name the name of Jesus. Declaring Jesus as OUR Lord is powerful. That's why during the message I stated that in addition to saying "NO" I like to say that I'm a child of God a follower of Jesus and that Jesus is the Lord of my life. The evil one flees at the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus.
This also points out our need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Tolerating sin only opens the door for the evil to have his way in our life. Confessing our sin, resisting the devil and drawing near to God offers the believer the ability to tap into the power of Jesus over Satan.
Thanks for this BLOG reply. I hope the LBF community can experience victory that Jesus made possible in the temptations of life that come from the devil.
God Bless